Swazi Gold

Swazi Gold

2014, Drugs  -    -  Playlist 29 Comments
7.13
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Ratings: 7.13/10 from 40 users.

With a temperate climate, majestic waterfalls, and an abundance of playful monkeys, the Kingdom of Swaziland would appear to be heaven on Earth, yet Swaziland has the highest prevalence of HIV in the world and only one doctor for every 6,000 people.

Ruled by King Mswati III, Sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, the citizens of Swaziland are taunted by the King's $200 million bank account and numerous palaces occupied by his 15 wives. Although over 2/3 of the population lives under the poverty line King Mswati taxes the meager income Swazi farmers earned from their crops. But one crop remains exempt because it was never approved.

"Swazi Gold" is a pure sativa strain that is said to take six months to mature and can grow over ten feet in height. Additionally the plants are rumored to be completely devoid of the cannabinoid CBD, but Hamilton wanted to test this for himself. So he began collecting samples... for "analysis." Contrary to the popular image of cannabis growers as stoners and hippies, the growers of Swaziland are predominantly drug naive grandmothers who grow the plant out of pure economic necessity.

With the country in fiscal crisis and its former wood pulp and mining industries exhausting the last of Swaziland's natural resources, Doctor Ben Dlamini has a few remaining solutions to attract foreign investors and protect the country from economic collapse. But the market is no longer dominated by the original six-months Swazi Gold and there's now a demand for fast-growing hybrids imported from Europe.

Africa produces more cannabis than any other continent in the world and Swaziland, despite its small size, dedicates more hectares of land to cannabis cultivation than all of India. One interesting thing about cannabis growers in Swaziland is they never get high on their own supply. Farmers report, the iron rich soil is ideal for growing cannabis without the use of synthetic fertilizers.

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Amunet
Amunet
6 years ago

I cannot believe this man would go to Swaziland and exploit these people. He quite possibly put these people's livelihood and lives in danger by just trying to get the scoop.

Shaun
Shaun
6 years ago

NO CLUE!!
I read here in the comments that alcohol dissolves THC?? Really??
docoman that is untrue.
Alcohol is the best method of extraction.

seahorse
seahorse
7 years ago

This film shouldn't be labeled as a documentary. This guy took advantage of some Southern Africans to gather some weeds and laugh in front of a camera. Disappointing.

John Cury
John Cury
10 years ago

A documentary used to be something based on facts and
something you could learn from, now documentary means any jackass with a camera
shooting amateur videos.

Christopher Grossmann
Christopher Grossmann
10 years ago

r u serious -- ? u didn't delay plane ? or mail it back home or direct to a lab ?

Norm_de_Plume
Norm_de_Plume
10 years ago

I think it's fitting that it didn't all come together. Much like plans when one gets stoned! Good work Hamilton!

dmxi
dmxi
10 years ago

the geezer seems to be the dope expert for vice as seen in other vice drug related doc's....but in the end just a drug traveller opposed to journalism,imo...which explains a lot!

Jow
Jow
10 years ago

What? He didn't get the data he was looking for in the end? The whole point of the documentary was to test the legitimacy of the claims that that Swazi Gold strain is a pure THC strain with no CBDs. In the end, he doesn't get to analyze the plant samples because their gear didn't arrive until about 30 mins before they left? Sounds like a lame excuse, I mean, if you're going to to a study why don't you have that stuff ready? This was very disappointing to be honest. Aside from that it's an ok documentary, there's a lot of weed for sure and I am a stoner so I enjoy a good weed doco, but this one was so-so.

oQ
oQ
10 years ago

How did this guy get to make this doc? It is beyond my comprehension.
And also this doc could actually endanger some lifes out there, it is illegal and they do not pay tax on it. I don't think these peasants knew what they were in for, no one told them that the entire world would see them in action including any officials of their own country.

dmxi
dmxi
10 years ago

i could smack that smug face (oviously) grinning in the still caption but who couldn't grin besides that large quantity of dope?ah,the problems surrounding the topic would wipe my smile from my face!